Switch and circuit breaker



July 5, 1949. E. F. WEBB SWITCH AND CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed July 23. 1945 INVENTOR. Ed 0014 KWi BY kg: 1

/7 Flaws 15x5.

Patented July 5, 1949 UNITED s'rA'ras PATENT .ornca SWITCH AND CIRCUIT BREAKER Edmond F. Webb, Franklin Village, Mlcln, al-

signor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application July as. 1945, Serial No. 608,526

'1 Claims. (cram-11s) of a device otthis character operable as above to control electrical circuits having respectively diiierent overload values, and to provide a device which at its control is responsive to individual circuit overload values irrespective of the overload values of other circuits of the electrical system which may be concurrently energized.

A further object of the invention is the provision in an electrical system including a plurality of circuits adapted to be energized from a source of energy through a switch including parts movable together to a position for concurrently energizing respective circuits and relatively movable when so positioned by a predetermined temperature induced in the respective .circuits to deenergize one thereot independently of another, and to provide a switch in which the aforesaid parts are bimetallic.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. i is a sectional side elevational view through a device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the Fig. 1 device.

Fig. 3 ice. top plan view of the movable switch member included in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. i is'a side elevational view of the movable switch member.

Fig. 5 is a view of a wiring diagram embodying the invention.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4 but showing a modified form of movable switch member.

The combination switch and circuit breaker is adapted to control a plurality of electrical circuits which may be energized from a common source of energy, for example, a storage battery. In many instances the devices fed by these circuits may draw relatively different current values during operation and frequently two or more or such devices may be concurrently operated as in the case of the head lamps and tail lamps of a motor vehicle. As illustrated, the switch and circuit breaker include a casing iii in which is fixed a multi-layer plate ll oi insulating material and carrying a plurality of terminals l2 provided with contacts It. A plug it having a central bore I is fixed to the base of the casing l0 and is adapted to be threaded into a suitable support not shown. An actuating rod It extends through the bore ll into the housing Ill and has a plurality of arms l6 non-rotatably fixed thereto. Each arm i6 has an upturned end which is engaged in a recess in a multiple layer plate II for rotation of the latter in response to rotation of the rod it. A coil spring 18 yieldably urges the plate l1 upwardly.

Disposed between the plates H and i1 is a switch, generally designated by the numeral ll, including a central body having a plurality oi.

downwardly extending legs 20 for supporting the.

switch on the plate H. A plurality of arms 2| extend outwardly from the central body and each has a downwardly projecting leg 22 received in an opening 23 of the plate ll, as typified in Fig. 2. Each such arm carries a contact 24 adapted to engage with a certain contact ll of a terminal it as will be more fully set forth.

i The member I! is oi unitary bimetallic construction and maybe formed by stamping the same from sheet stock including metallic layers Eli, 28 having different coeilicients of expansion and adapted to react to a predetermined temperature value, the layers being relatively arranged so that in thus reacting the arms 2| are moved downwardly as viewed in Fig. l. The member thus acts as a circuit breaker by deenergizing a circuit when the current drawn therefrom excoeds a predetermined value. Where the devices to be energized by the respective circuits draw relatively diflerent amounts of current, the aforesaid reactive temperature value of the arms is set above the temperature induced in that circuit tram which the greater amount of current is normally drawn.

The member is is depressed centrally at the central inlet contact 14 and vwhen assembled as shown in Fig. 1, this centrally depressed portion is urged upwardly under the influence of the spring It! to bring the central contact 24 into engagement with an associated contact (not shown) and to give a predetermined pressure at the outlet contacts 24 of the arms 2i.

Referring to Fig. 5, the wiring diagram shows an electrical system including a plurality oi. circuits energized through the switch and circuit breaker is form a common source of energy such as a storage battery 2|. As applied to amotor vehicle the system includes a head lamp circuit and a parking light circuit 30, the contacts II of which are selectively engaged by the contact of one arm 2|, a tail light circuit 3|, the contact I3 01 which is engaged by a contact of another arm 2|, and an auxiliary circuit 32, the contact of which is engaged by the contact of another arm 2|. The auxiliary circuit 32 may supply current to a plurality of devices, for example, a radio receivin set and a space heater fan and inasmuch as these devices may be concurrently operated with the tail lamp the contacts for the circuits 3|, 32 are so elongated as to permit such concurrent operation. The conductor 33 com municates with the aforesaid circuits and the battery 28 and a conductor 34 leads from the battery to the switch l9. When the switch I9 is moved to bring either arm 2| controlling the circuits 30, 3| to the oil position indicated at 35, all circuits except the auxiliary are deenergized.

In operation, the spring |8 acting on the plate I! urges the member I 9 upwardly to maintain the contacts in suitable conducting engagement and by oscillation of the rod Hi the member l8 can be oscillated to a selected position as illustrated in which the circuits 30, 3|, 32 are concurrently energized. As is well known, the head lamps, as well as the devices in the auxiliary circuit, may draw an amount oi. current from the circuit thereof greater than that drawn by the tail and parkin lights from their respective circuits and therefore an arm 2| will react only to a temperature value which is above that which will be induced in that circuit from which the greater load is normally drawn, in this instance the head lamp or auxiliary circuit. Should the circuit 3| be overloaded by shorting the same to an extent to draw therefrom an amount of current greater than that normally drawn from a concurrently energized circuit, then the arm 2| controlling such circuit will be heated to a reacting temperature to deenergize the overloaded circuit only and the other concurrently energized circuits will not be affected by such overloading.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the member I9 includes a plurality of individual arms 2| fixed together centrally for selective oscillation as a unit and adapted to be included in the associated structure in a manner similar to that of the member l9. The arms 19' construction and are adapted to react to respectively different temperature values predetermined in accordance with the temperature induced in the controlled circuit by normal operation of the device in such circuit. With this construction each circuit has a predetermined unloading value independently of the unloading value of other circuits concurrently energized therewith.

Although but two specific embodiments of the invention have herein been shown and described, it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In an electrical system including a plurality of circuits each having a contact, a. switch member for controlling energization of said circuits including a plurality of arms centrally connected and otherwise spaced apart each having a contact, said switch member bein movable between a first position to respectively engage a plurality of said arm contacts with said circuit contacts thereby to concurrently energize a plurality of are of bimetallic said circuits and a second position to deenergize said circuits, each of said arms constituting a bimetallic thermostat deflectible to disengage its contact from its engaged circuit contact when the load on the circuit of the latter contact exceeds a predetermined value while maintaining engaged the contacts or that circuit concurrently energized, each arm being capable of inherent deflection to restore engagement of such contacts independently of movement of said member between said positions.

2. In an electrical system including a pluraliti of circuits adapted to be energized from a common source of energy and each having a terminal, a switch member including a central body and a plurality of arms radiating therefrom in spaced relation and free for deflection relative to said body at the arm periphery remote from said body each having a contact, said member being movable between a plurality of positions for controlling energization of said circuits, including one position to respectively engage a plurality of said arm contacts with certain of said terminals thereby to concurrently energize a plurality of circuits, each of said plurality of arms being so thermostatically defiectible as to disengage the contact thereof from the engaged terminal independently of another arm when the load on the circuit having the last mentioned terminal exceeds a predetermined value while maintaining said member in its said one position.

3. In an electrical system including a plurality of circuits each having a terminal, a combi nation switch and circuit breaker for controlling energization of said circuits from a common source of energy including a plurality of individually formed arms each carrying a contact, means securing said arms together for unitary movement to so position certain of the same as to respectively engage the contacts thereof with certain of said terminals to thereby concurrently energize the circuits of the last mentioned terminals, each of said arms being of bimetallic construction and reactive to a respectively difierent predetermined temperature value to deflect in one direction to so move its contact as to deenergize the associated circuit independently of another of said concurrently energized circuits when said reactive predetermined value thereof is exceeded, and to deflect in another direction to so move its contact as to restore the circuit deenergized.

4. In a combination switch and circuit breaker for controlling operation of a plurality of electrically energizable devices each adapted to operate on current of a predetermined value, a bimetallic thermostat including individual parts, means securing said parts together for unitary movement to a position to respectively effect concurrent energization of at least two of said devices, said parts having relatively different temperature responsive characteristics for defiection one relative to the other to deenergize one of the last mentioned devices when the current supplied thereto exceeds said predetermined value.

5. In a combination switch and circuit breaker for controlling operation of a plurality of electrically energizable devices each adapted to operate on current of respectively diflerent predetermined values, a bimetallic thermostat including individual-parts adapted to react to respectively different predetermined values, means securing said parts together for unitary rotary movement to a position to respectively eifect conaerated current energization 0! at least two of said devices and for opposite deflection one relative to the other when in said position to respectively deenergize one of the last mentioned devices when the current supplied thereto exceeds said predetermined value and to energize the device so deenergized.

6. In an electrical system including a plurality of circuits adapted to be energized from a common source 01 energy and each having a terminal, a switch member including a central body and a'plurality of arms radiating therefrom in relatively circumterentially spaced relation. each arm having a contact, means connected with said central body for rotating said mem-- ber between a plurality of positions for controlling energization of said circuits, including one position to respectively engage a plurality of said arm contacts with certain of said terminals thereby to concurrently energize a plurality of circuits, each of said plurality of arms being so thermostatically deflcctible as to disengage the contact thereof from the engaged terminal independently of another arm when the load on the circuit having the last mentioned terminal exceeds a predetermined value while maintaining said member in its said one position.

7. A combination switch and circuit breaker for controlling a plurality 0! electrical circuit 6 each having a terminal. said switch including a plurality of individual armseach having a contact, means connecting said arms together for unitary movement between a plurality of positions for controlling energization of said circuits including one position to respectively engage a plurality of said arm contacts with certain of said terminals thereby to concurrently energize a plurality of circuits. each of said plurality of arms being so thermostatically deflectible as to disengage the contact thereof from the engaged terminal when the load on the circuit of such engaged terminal exceeds a predetermined value while maintaining another of said arms in its said one position with the contact thereof encaged with its said certain terminal.

EDMOND F. WEBB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

